The most likely reason why owning property was important to Rachel and her husband is because they were poor and could not afford to buy land.
What is the Homestead Act of 1862?
This refers to the federal act which was passed in order to give adult males in America lands for a filing fee and for five years of continuous residence.
Hence, it can be inferred that because of this Homestead Act, it was made in order to encourage American Western development by giving people incentives to move there.
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